Guiding You To A More Magical Life

Do You Haiku?

Haiku

Reading Tarot Kaizen recently reminded me about writing haikus for tarot cards, something I used to do quite regularly. With May’s focus on the Devil, I decided to let the Sasuraibito Tarot (Stasia Burrington, 2017) inspire me.

He’s a rather handsome Devil, with a bad boy look sure to entice. While sex addiction isn’t something I worry about, he represents overindulgence and temptations of many kinds. It is our senses that make us vulnerable to these temptations, because they feel good. Yet, our senses are not bad per se…

Sensuality

Brings Joy and Inspiration

In Moderation

Spread

The haiku then prompted me to create a devilish tarot spread to match it:

How can my senses bring me joy? – Three of Wands

Three wands are tied together in a tripod, looking out from a cliff over the sea. The coming together of creativity, dedication and emotion.

This feels like taking time to appreciate the projects I’m working on, in their physicality. And considering how my senses will perceive any given creative project. If it has an aspect that draws in my senses, it is more likely to bring me joy.

Makes me think about various sewing projects I have on-going or in the pipeworks. I’m working on a tarot bag for a deck I haven’t even unboxed yet 😀 I love the colours and playfulness of the fabrics I’ve chosen – a delight for the eyes. And I like the feel of needle and thread moving through cloth, the fabric soft against my fingers, contrasting with the cold, hard steel of the needle.

I also want to start on my first ever quilting project. Would have started already, but the fabrics I chose for it are in a box somewhere that I haven’t yet managed to find *doh* Hopefully, next week we may finally be able to get into our kitchen and unpack…

How can my senses inspire me? – Queen of Swords

This calm lady seems the least likely of the Queens to fall for this handsome Devil’s allure!

Still, I notice the ribbons of smoke floating around her sword blade. Her element is the air, that which we breathe in. Two thoughts come from that.

Firstly, to be inspired by breathwork to find calm. After all, with peace of mind I am more likely to be able to turn off those negative thought patterns and old tapes that keep me locked in bad habits. Only when thinking with clarity and openness can I find new inspiration.

Secondly, I think about the smell of fresh, healthy ingredients baking. Who hasn’t walked into somewhere that’s just been cooking up something delicious, and felt tempted? Perhaps I can take a look at some microwave baking recipes, to garner some inspiration for healthy treats that don’t involve chocolate or sugar…

What will help me find a healthy balance between sensuality and moderation? – The Lovers

The Sasuraibito offers us a really interesting version of the Lovers. Two figures so entwined we can barely tell where one ends and the other finishes. A red thread swirls around the two, the passion that binds them together.

Choices, then, are fundamental. This brings me back to a previous thought: I have to feel passionate about the choices I make. And if I am to find a way beyond the Devil’s temptations, it will have to include something that feels fabulous, too. Be it sewing something that looks lovely and feels good to the touch, or baking some sweet-smelling healthy treats, I need to find a way to make breaking bad habits a pleasure, rather than a chore. Self-sacrifice and discipline are not great long-term motivators!

7 Responses to “Do You Haiku?”

Love your haiku for the devil and your interpretation of the card. Humans are sensual creatures and enjoy what is pleasurable. Unfortunately when it comes to pleasure we tend to be like the Pringles potato chips ad: “Once you pop, you just can’t stop.” The Three of Wands and Queen of Swords offers some practical advice – you can’t take something out of your life and mind and leave a vacuum because it will get filled with something (and probably something not healthy if we are reactive to life). But I had a whole different take on the Lovers that you did. With their bodies so entwined, you can’t tell who is who. It feels like an unhealthy relationship, like that of an abused wife. I can just hear her explain, “But he loves me, deep down.” It is like how we secretly feel about all our out-of-control addictions, I believe.

Haha, yes, the Pringles ad sure nailed that one, Bev! And there’s definitely a part of me that believes it’s good we are sensual creatures. How beautiful to see the many colours of the rainbow played out in spring flowers, to smell the scent of fresh, growing earthy life after a light rain 🙂
What an interesting take on the Lovers, I can certainly see what you mean. I’m not sure how that would translate into finding a healthy balance though. Do you mean by admitting how unhealthy my relationship to food sometimes is, and by becoming more mindful of where I struggle? Hmm…

Yes, it is the relationship itself – how we relate to whatever we are attached to that we think is going to save us from how we feel. For instance, I never drank to celebrate but to change the way I feel, to feel differently. It’s not alcohol’s fault (it’s not evil); but how I relate to it – fix me – is the problem. Hope that makes sense!

It does 🙂
Been thinking a lot about this. I wonder how much is actually physical – due to gut flora, for example. I know there’s an aspect that’s about my own dysfunction, but it may not be purely mental. Alcohol is a bit different, the change in the way you feel is more obvious. But I really don’t feel that different when I have a piece of chocolate than when I don’t – it’s not like feeling tipsy. Dunno, still thinking a lot about this… 🙂

Alcohol never really filled the hole in my soul, it just made me temporarily unconscious of it. I think any pleasure can distract us briefly when we don’t want to stay awake to reality because we feel overwhelmed by it. I think one big difference between addiction (of any type) and normal behavior is the motivation behind it.

I’ve read some of yours in Alison Cross’ Tarot Kaizen. Really lovely! I’ve never been that organised about it, so I have multiple haikus for some cards, and none for others. Plus, I don’t have them all in the same place, so I’m not even sure what I’ve written. Do you journal yours, Alison? 🙂